I love the variety of Twin Cities Film Fest lineup, year after year. One of the film formats I don’t get to see often is Film Shorts, but thankfully, TCFF offers five set of Shorts broken down by themes. I missed the first set but last Monday I got to see the second set, you can see a sneak peaks of them all in this video below:

Evil, Enemies, and Aliens (Shorts Block)

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Disturbing and deadly conflicts aren’t unique to large scale wars or terrorism. They can be found around us in our everyday lives. This shorts block takes a look at retaliation, murder, fishing, sacrifice, and bare knuckle fighting to illuminate the beautiful, but uncertain world around us.

Films in the Evil, Enemies & Aliens Short Blocks:

Gone Fishing

Windage

Trapped

Alone Together

Knuckle

One Armed Man

I’m only going to do a mini review of the two that I like most – both happen to be under 8 minutes each. I think the rule of thumb for a good short film is that it shouldn’t overstay its welcome. I guess that should be a rule for any kind of film, but most especially for shorts because to me, that’s part of the appeal. Having a shorter time frame forces filmmakers to be more innovative and creative storytellers and I think these two films illustrate that.

Windage – by Dan Delano

A city is torn apart by war. On the outskirts of town, two lone snipers cross paths and pin each other down.

War is such a universal theme, but so is the concept of kindness and altruism. Windage mixes those themes well and the gritty Winter setting adds to the sense of isolation and abandonment. Both leads, Kari Ann Craighead and Danny August Mason, gave a believable and affecting performance as well, they did a nice job acting with just their eyes and facial expression. The film as a whole is very minimalistic, with barely any word is spoken, yet the ending provokes such a big emotional impact.

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Alone Together – by Blake West

A man struggles with his past, only to find out it is his present and inescapable future…

Similar to Windage, this film is economical and minimalistic in its approach, with just two leads telling the story. There’s a deep sense of mystery here that is played out nicely right up until the end. Louis Mandylor is the main lead who’s present throughout. I recognize him for some of his supporting work on films and TV, and he has such a melancholic face yet somehow keeps you guessing. I like films that play with our expectation and keep you guessing just who the main character is and the woman who follows him to the ocean. I really didn’t see the twist coming which is always nice when that happens. The film is well-shot and has an eerie feeling that works well for the story.

Now, since we’re still on the subject of Shorts, I want to give a shout out to filmmaker Conor Holt, who happens to be TCFF’s Social Media Coordinator this year, as his short film A Better Life that premiered here last year. His award-winning film is now out on Vimeo!

It’s one of my fave short films, it’s a well-crafted sci-fi that’s really thought-provoking. Check out my chat with him on the making of the film this post.

And here’s the review from Day 6 …

Solitude

You know how when someone tells you not to do something it just makes you want to do it more? Solitude, the horror flick making its world premiere at the Twin Cities Film Fest, is like that. Spanning 75 years, it takes place in a mysterious town where evil recurs in six segments. Directors Taylor Scott Olson and Livingston Oden are obviously inspired by old movies such as “The Exorcist” and “The Nightmare on Elm Street.” We first meet James Erikson (Armin Habibovich) going through an old storage locker filled with family artifacts after the death of his mother. Five more vignettes follow, shot to appear as they take place in 1939, 1961, 1977, 1986 and 1999, and include odes to “Frankenstein” and “The Blair Witch Project.”

The random clues in a single box found in the locker lead to an old Native American tale of a monster that has been killing those who dare to trespass on this land. A native woman tries to warn each set of intrepid adventurers but of course, none of them listen to reason. That’s about as serious as this movie gets- it’s really just campy fun. (Early scenes reminded me of recent spoofs of the 1936 film “Reefer Madness,” including a musical where a flamboyant Jesus dances around with life size pot brownies to warn teenagers of the dangers of the “evil weed.”) If the cast’s aim in the movie was to spoof terrible acting in old horror films, they succeeded.

One of the fun things about a film fest is getting to see movies before anyone else. The theatre was packed on Tuesday night and it was clear from the cheering in the audience when people’s names came up in the opening credits that there were a lot of cast and crew present. Afterward, a Q&A with directors Taylor Scott Olson and Livingston Oden revealed that the movie was shot in Minnesota- the “Solitude River” in the movie is actually the Rum River. When asked why they chose the title, Olson said that he originally thought of “Solace” but didn’t want confusion with the upcoming Anthony Hopkins movie. He settled on “Solitude” because when you hear that word you think of a peaceful, serene place- the opposite from what the movie actually is. An entertaining show that doesn’t take itself too seriously mixed with behind-the-scenes insight…I can’t think of a better way to spend a night at the theatre.

I thought that One-Armed Man is just too dark and waaaay too long that I kept wondering when it would end. That’s what I was referring to when I said shorts should not overstay its welcome. I think ppl are intrigued because it was produced by Philip Seymour Hoffman but overall I wasn’t all that impressed. It was intense and well-acted, but at the end of it, I don’t really know just what the whole point was.

About me

Hello I'm Ruth! Film is in my blood. LOVE movies of all genres, from Jane Austen to James Bond. Official blogger for the Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF). I've recently completed my first feature screenplay & produced my first short film HEARTS WANT. Visit facebook.com/heartswantfilm

Trivia on Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve noted that he's fully aware of the immense pressure he's under, and how hardcore fans of the original view the prospect of a new film: "I know that every single fan will walk into the theater with a baseball bat. I'm aware of that and I respect that, and it's okay with me because it's art. Art is risk, and I have to take risks. It's gonna be the biggest risk of my life but I'm okay with that. For me it's very exciting... It's just so inspiring, I'm so inspired. I've been dreaming to do sci-fi since I was 10 years old, and I said 'no' to a lot of sequels. I couldn't say 'no' to Blade Runner 2049 (2017). I love it too much, so I said, 'Alright, I will do it and give everything I have to make it great.'"

Initially, Denis Villeneuve was against the concept of a sequel to Blade Runner (1982), as he felt it could violate the original. But after reading the script, which he and Harrison Ford have described as "one of the best" they have ever read, he committed to the project, stating that Ford was already involved at that point: "To be very honest with you, Harrison was part of the project before I arrived. He was attached to it right from the start with Ridley [Scott]. I met him and he's honestly one of the nicest human beings I've met and is one of my favorite actors of all time, so for me it's a lot of pleasure."

Jared Leto was introduced to Denis Villeneuve by his close friend Jean-Marc Vallée, who had directed Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (2013).

Emily Blunt was considered for a role but she declined due to her pregnancy.

This sequel is set to be released on October 6, 2017, just ten years and one day after the Final Cut version of the first film premiered in Los Angeles.

The sequel which takes place 30 years after Blade Runner (1982) is the story of new Blade Runner Officer K (Ryan Gosling) as he searches Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) whom has disappeared. In Harrison Ford's earlier science fiction film Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) which took place 30 years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), The film's main protagonists Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) are searching for Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) whom disappeared. Harrison Ford played Han Solo in the Star Wars films.